What people complain about in Buildium
17 reported problems name Buildium as what the person is currently using. Below is what they said was missing, and what they resorted to instead.
- Complaints
- 17
- Avg severity
- 3.1/5
- Would pay to fix
- 1
- Industries
- 2
What they wish it did
Capabilities people described needing that Buildium does not give them, taken from the highest-scoring problems first. These are individual accounts written in each person’s own terms, so two entries may describe the same underlying gap in different words.
- Automatic PDF to structured data conversion for property management documents
- Email-to-spreadsheet data extraction for property managers
- Property management software with built-in screen reader compatibility and high-contrast visual design
- Integrated remote inspection guidance system with live video and annotation capabilities for visually impaired supervisors
- Automated reservation scheduling and waitlist management that replaces manual spreadsheet tracking
- Integrated turnover management workflow within Buildium
- Single-pane operations dashboard combining multiple data views
- software with intelligent, nuanced tenant communication built natively into the platform replacing external email
- Automated appliance lifecycle and warranty tracking system with predictive alerts
- Automated lease renewal reminders and document generation
- Per-property expense tracking with receipt capture and tax-ready reports
- Centralized maintenance request intake and automated vendor assignment
- Dedicated tenant communication channel separate from personal SMS
- Automated data import tool that maps fields from source documents to property management software without requiring developer support
- Integrated rent collection and maintenance tracking in one app
- Centralized tenant communication log
- Automated rent tracking and collection replacing manual spreadsheets
- Centralized document management for leases and records replacing shared Drive folder
- Integrated maintenance request and repair tracking
- Dedicated lead management software that replaces manual spreadsheets and is more affordable than enterprise PMS.
- Integrated lead management system that eliminates need for manual spreadsheets
What they do instead
The manual processes people built around the gap. A long workaround list is the strongest evidence a problem is real: someone is already paying for it in time. Where several people described the same workaround, it is marked.
- re-type data from PDFs and emails into AppFolio/Yardi/Buildium
- re-type data from PDFs and emails into Excel
- Using 50" screen to remotely guide technicians during inspections
- Considering multiple software options to find accessible alternatives
- management company uses spreadsheets to manage reservations
- Uses spreadsheets and texts outside the platform to track turnover tasks
- uses email outside PM platform for tenant communication because no platform gets it right
- uses massive Excel spreadsheet to manage appliance info
- manually tracking lease renewals (forgetting them)
- scattered expense records (annoying accountant)
- acting as dispatch center for every maintenance request
- tenant communication in personal text messages
- manually typing rent rolls into Appfolio, Yardi, or Buildium
- uses spreadsheets to track rent and maintenance
- uses scattered messages for tenant communication
- uses Google Sheets to track everything
- uses shared Drive folder for documents
- maintains an Excel spreadsheet for 100+ properties
- keeps a separate Excel or Google Sheet for leasing leads
Industries
The problems themselves
Highest opportunity score first.
Property managers using AppFolio/Yardi/Buildium still manually re-type data from PDFs and emails into their systems or spreadsheets, wasting time and introducing errors.
3MediumProperty ManagementDocument ManagementDocumentPipe for Property ManagersA blind property manager needs accessible property management software with screen reader compatibility, affordable API access, and remote inspection guidance capabilities.
4HighProperty ManagementProperty ManagementAccessiView Property ManagerFractional vacation property owners struggle with fair scheduling and communication because existing HOA software is overkill and expensive.
4HighReal EstateScheduling & BookingFairShare ReservationsNo unified operations dashboard or turnover management workflow in Buildium for property management.
3MediumProperty ManagementOperations ManagementTurnFlow OpsProperty managers with mixed portfolios find that no single platform handles nuanced tenant communication, custom reporting, or complex operations without workarounds.
4HighProperty ManagementProperty ManagementTenantTact PMA commercial property owner needs a comprehensive software platform to manage rent rolls, track work orders, and streamline operations across multiple properties with 30+ tenants.
3MediumProperty ManagementProperty ManagementCommercialPropFlowProperty managers struggle to produce monthly owner financial statements efficiently, often resorting to manual exporting and reformatting.
3MediumProperty ManagementFinancial ManagementOwnerStatement ProSmall property managers are stuck with expensive per-unit pricing from incumbents like Buildium/AppFolio and switching costs prevent them from moving to a more affordable flat-rate platform.
3MediumProperty ManagementProperty ManagementHatchkeepDifficulty migrating mass PDF files from Buildium to Appfolio for 300 properties due to insufficient export support from Buildium.
3MediumProperty ManagementData ManagementPropMigrate ProProperty managers lose money on emergency repairs and tenant complaints because they lack a proactive system to track appliance ages, warranties, and maintenance schedules.
3MediumProperty ManagementAsset ManagementApplianceWatch ProLandlord with 10+ rental units needs portfolio management software to automate rent collection, track expenses per property, manage maintenance requests, and centralize tenant communications away from personal text messages.
3MediumProperty ManagementProperty ManagementPortfolioRent ProProperty managers struggle to efficiently import rent rolls and lease data into property management software (Appfolio, Yardi, Buildium) when acquiring new properties.
3MediumProperty ManagementData ManagementRentRoll Importer ProLandlord with under 10 units struggles to manage rent collection and maintenance tracking using scattered spreadsheets and messages, and finds existing property management software too feature-heavy.
3MediumProperty ManagementProperty ManagementRentEaseFirst-time landlord needs a property management app that scales, replacing current manual spreadsheets and shared drive for managing rental units.
3MediumProperty ManagementOperations ManagementRentHive ProManaging leasing leads for 100+ properties was overwhelming with Excel, and existing PMS solutions are either too expensive or inadequate.
3MediumProperty ManagementLead ManagementLeaseLead FlowGrowing rental property owner needs platform that supports multiple portfolios with separate accounting and tax documents.
3MediumProperty ManagementProperty ManagementMultiPortfolio ProLeasing agents lack a dedicated tool to manage leasing leads day-to-day and resort to spreadsheets alongside property management software.
2MildProperty ManagementClient Management & BookingLeadFlow Pro
Read this fairly
These are complaints, and only complaints — nobody posts to say their software worked. A high count mostly reflects how many people use Buildium at all, so this page is not a quality judgement and should not be read as one. What it is good for is the shape of the gaps: the specific jobs people could not get done, which are the same whether the tool is popular or not.